Charles Roven is one of Hollywood's most prolific producers, though most of you will know him best for his ties to The Dark Knight Trilogy and DC Extended Universe.
Having produced everything from Man of Steel to Zack Snyder's Justice League and The Suicide Squad, it's understandable that he has some thoughts on James Gunn and DC Studios' plans to reboot the DCEU as the DCU. However, does he think it's a good idea?
Talking to The Hollywood Reporter about Oppenheimer, Roven seemed to choose his words carefully. However, he also echoed the concerns many fans have with Gunn's current approach to casting the new DCU.
"Right now, they’re really rebooting everything, and it’s a little bit unclear to me exactly how finite their desire is to use or not use any DCEU actors in the same roles," he admits. "So I’m not really sure, but at the moment, we’re not really having any discussions."
"James and I are good friends. My wife and I are very good friends with him and his wife, Jenn [Holland]. And so we see each other socially, but we’re not really talking about any business."
Following DC Studios' approach to casting has not been easy; while we're getting a new Batman and Superman, Gal Gadot seems adamant she'll return as Wonder Woman (despite that seemingly being "debunked" in recent reports from the trades).
Then, there's the fact Gunn is enlisting many of the actors he worked with in The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker for projects like Waller and Creature Commandos despite recasting two-thirds of the Trinity and characters like Lois Lane and Lex Luthor.
As reboots go, it's proving to be a little muddled, especially after The Flash failed to "reset" things as promised.
With any luck, we'll get some clarification when Superman: Legacy rolls around in 2025. That's expected to fully introduce the new status quo and might better explain DC Studios' approach to launching a new shared world.